WHITTAKER CORP.

EPA ID# MND006252233
Last Updated: August, 2013

Site Description

The Whittaker Corporation Site is located in Hennepin County, Minnesota, and covers 7.5 acres of an idustrial area of the City of Minneapolis. During World War II, a holding company operated on the site and repackaged war materials, including antifreeze and oil for the military. In the 1950s, the company expanded its operations by acquiring a manufacturer of industrial coatings. The Whittaker Corporation also produced resins and distributed steel. Chemicals were stored in approximately 28 aboveground tanks, ranging in size from 2,000 to 20,000 gallons, and 21 underground tanks, ranging in size from 2,500 to 14,000 gallons. The tanks contained various hydrocarbon solvents, propylene glycol, styrene monomer, di-isobutyl, ketone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, toluene, xylene, and other chemicals. A variety of wastes were generated as a result of the processes used at the Whittaker Corporation Site, including tank bottoms, paint sludge, old paints, off-specification paints and resins, and cleaning fluids. The Mississippi River is approximately 1,200 feet to the west of the site.

Site Responsibility

This site was cleaned up through State actions. The site was part of the Minnesota Polution Control Agency (MPCA)'s Enforcement Deferral Pilot Project approved by U. S. EPA.

Threats and Contaminants

Groundwater and soil were found to be contaminated with heavy metals, including cadmium and lead as well as volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Cleanup Progress

Groundwater investigation at the site began in 1983, when groundwater was found to contain chlorinated solvents, benzene, cadmium, and chromium. The Whittaker Corporation conducted soil, drum and tank removals from 1983 to 1985 to reduce the source of the groundwater contamination. MPCA issued a Request for Response Action in 1985, and in response, Whittaker Corporation installed a groundwater extraction system. This system operated from 1985 to 1994.

In 1995, MPCA investigated two adjacent areas north and west of the site to assess whether these areas had contaminated the groundwater drawn into Whittaker Corporation's groundwater pumping system. Following the investigations, MPCA determined that it was very unlikely that off-site contamination was responsible for elevated contaminant levels in the Whittaker pumping well.

In 1998, under MPCA oversight, Whittaker Corp completed an additional soil and groundwater investigation to determine whether the site had been cleaned up to an acceptable level to protect human health and the environment. MPCA determined that all results were below specified cleanup goals. The site was deleted from EPA's National Priorities List in 1999.